“ No one kills the black boy”

I read Danez Smith’s poem “Dinosaurs in the Hood” where he describes a type of movie he wants to watch. Smith uses imagery to create an image of what the movie is and is not. Additionally, the poem is structured with paragraphs divided by ideas, even if this occasionally splits up a sentence. Something I thought was interesting was Smith’s choice to use an ampersand sign instead of the word and, and their use of casual language. These choices create a sense of pathos for the audience. An example of this is Smith repeating “no one kills the black boy” ( line 32-33) three times. This repetition allows the phrase’s meaning to sink in, reinforcing its significance within the context of the poem, the imagined movie, and society as a whole. 

In terms of masculinity, the poem reimagines black masculinity through of lens of reclaiming innocence and humanity, where there “is proof of magic” (line 10). This contrasts the masculine stereotype portrayal of being “rough” and “hurt”, something frequently reinforced in media, especially for black men. This reimagining can truly bring real-world change to the social power structure by challenging the notion that the use of stereotypes, whether in comedy or drama, merely reinforces the most ignorant forms of racism rather than pushing society forward. In addition, drawing attention to how should society protect young minority children from these harmful stereotypes. Smith furthers the point by concluding the paragraph with the line “his dream possible, pulsing & right there”  (line 36) hanging in space by itself. Leaving the audience, with the underlying theme of giving black boys a chance to live and dream without all the society's expectations and stereotypes put on their backs, letting them exist outside of the stereotype.

Relating this back to “the Doll House”, Nora experienced a similar experience of being enclosed in stereotypes. After being used as a doll for most of her life by the men around her, Nora realizes that “ I am a human being, no less than you - or anyway, I ought to try to become one” (Ibsen, 146). Nora and many others who experience being viewed and valued based on their stereotype are stripped of their humanity. For Nora she was able to leave and become a human, however, some do not have that privilege.